The key difference between 23andme and ancestry DNA tests is that the 23andme DNA tests involve the testing of individual mutations whereas ancestry DNA tests involve the finding of genealogy and family histories.
Genetic tests are done very often in order to analyze the genetic composition of an individual. These tests provide information on several genetic disorders with respect to the mutations and chromosomal aberrations. Therefore, genetic tests are important diagnostic tools. There are different types of DNA tests available commercially. Among them, 23andme and ancestry DNA tests are two main types of commercially available tests. The 23andme DNA test involves a testing procedure called genotyping to analyze the individual genes and mutations of an individual. The Ancestry DNA test involves a genotyping technique that creates the genealogy between the ancestors of the family.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are 23andme DNA Tests
3. What are Ancestry DNA Tests
4. Similarities Between 23andme and Ancestry DNA Tests
5. Side by Side Comparison – 23andme vs Ancestry DNA Tests in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What are 23andme DNA Tests?
23andme DNA tests are involved in the genotyping of individuals. The individual’s genome analysis takes place to analyze for fragments of DNA and their mutations. Analysis of single nucleotide mutations and long fragment mutations take place through this technique. The report of this can predict information on the physical traits such as the colour of the skin, texture of the hair, the colour of the eye, etc. In addition, the tests can also predict the metabolic features of an individual such as the types of proteins produced in the body and the genetic expression of proteins, etc.
Figure 01: 23andme DNA Test Kit
The most important outcome of the 23andme DNA tests is the ability to analyze for genetic mutations. Through the analysis of these genetic mutations, the 23andme DNA tests act as a prognostic tool in diagnosis. Furthermore, 23andme DNA tests can analyze from chromosomal aberrations. Thus, this test can be used in identifying conditions such as Downs’ Syndrome, thalassemia and colour blindness in the individual. Apart from those, the 23andme DNA test can also analyze for mutations in embryos. This is mainly done when the newborn has a risk of getting a genetic disorder.
What are Ancestry DNA Tests?
Ancestry DNA tests are DNA tests that involve genotyping in order to check for ancestral relationships. This test analyzes the family relationships and obtains co-relations between generations of the same family.
Figure 02: Ancestry DNA Test
Ancestry DNA tests check for lineage and connect to the ancestral relationships. Therefore, you can retrieve a lot of data from an ancestry DNA test as traits are tracked for several generations. Moreover, it traces all of your family lines, rather than just your paternal or maternal relationships. Hence, it is able to provide a more comprehensive result about your family histories and genealogy. So ancestry DNA test is an interesting genetic tool that you can use to learn more about your health, family histories and find out relatives distributed across the world. Interestingly, sometimes you may able to connect your history back to Neanderthals.
What are the Similarities Between 23andme and Ancestry DNA Tests?
- Both 23andme and ancestry DNA tests involve genotyping techniques.
- Also, both tests check for sequences of genes and their differences.
- Besides, both tests require the collection of biological samples such as blood or saliva.
- Furthermore, mutations in the genomic DNA can be analyzed by both tests.
- Moreover, these tests are automated tests and are carried out under in vitro conditions.
- Above all, both tests act as a prognostic, diagnostic tool for genetic disorders and chromosomal aberrations.
What is the Difference Between 23andme and Ancestry DNA Tests?
DNA tests, 23andme and ancestry DNA tests are important DNA tests. 23andme DNA tests analyze the individual genes and existing mutations in the genome of an individual while the ancestry DNA tests analyze the family histories and genealogy about you. Therefore, this is the main difference between 23andme and ancestry DNA tests. The following infographic gives more details about the difference between 23andme and ancestry DNA tests.
Summary – 23andme vs Ancestry DNA Tests
23andme and ancestry tests are DNA tests that involve genotyping of individuals. 23andme DNA test mainly involves analyzing the individuals DNA sequences. Thus, this predicts the genetic disorders of an individual. It is also useful in analyzing the mutations and physical and metabolic traits of the individuals. On the other hand, ancestry DNA tests are genotyping tests which analyze for familial genetics. Accordingly, these tests predict information on evolutionary relationships between the family members of different generations. Hence, this briefs the difference between 23andme and ancestry DNA tests.
Reference:
1.Lemon, Jason. “Do Popular DNA Tests like 23andMe, Ancestry Actually Work?” Ajc, For the AJC, 2 May 2018. Available here
2.Saey, Tina Hesman. “What Genetic Tests from 23andMe, Veritas and Genos Really Told Me about My Health.” Science News, 2 Aug. 2018. Available here
Image Courtesy:
1.”4600140529″ by justgrimes (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr
2.”42875288260″ by Lisa Zins (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr